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They've got the football - now Qatar eyes handball for 2015

December 9 - Tiny Gulf state Qatar, still on a high after winning the right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, has launched a bid for the 2015 men's Handball World Championship.

If successful it would be the first time the Championship had ever been held in the region.

Qatar Olympic Committee and Qatar Handball Federation have submitted their event concept - "Qatar 2015: New Times, New Start" - to the International Handball Federation (IHF).

They claim their bid will offer a new opportunity to innovatively promote handball to a new audience, to set new standards of excellence for the championship and to further strengthen the role, status and reach of the IHF.

For the first time, the 2015 Handball World Championship could be hosted in a single city as all of the required competition and training halls and hotels are available in the capital of Doha.

The concept for Qatar 2015 focuses not only on the event itself, but also on creating new opportunities for the IHF by developing a new market and showcasing handball's commitment to universality and worldwide development.

Qatar 2015 has the full support of the Qatari government through the Qatar National Vision 2030 - a plan that bridges government and sport, within which the FIFA World Cup will be one of the drivers.

The bid team will make a first technical presentation to the IHF in Basel, Switzerland tomorrow.

The final presentation and decision will be made in January 2011 in Malmö, Sweden.

Qatar Handball President and chairman of Qatar 2015, Ahmed Mohammed Al-Shaabi, said: "We are excited and ready for the 2015 championship.

"I am delighted to submit such an innovative event concept that showcases how Qatar 2015 will bring handball, the championship and the IHF to new heights.

"After the fantastic news of the FIFA World Cup win last week, I look forward to presenting this other innovative concept to my colleagues in Switzerland."

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Fact of the day

At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Iranian judoka Arash Miresmaeili was disqualified for weighing in at nearly four pounds above the limit for his weight class of his under-66 kilograms match against an Israeli opponent Ehud Vaks in the first round. It was claimed Miresmaeili had gone on an eating binge to protest the International Olympic Committee's recognition of the state of Israel. Iran does not recognise the state of Israel, and Miresmaeili's actions won praise from high-ranking Iranian officials. Mohammad Khatami, the country's President at the time, was quoted as saying Miresmaili's actions would be "recorded in the history of Iranian glories". He was later awarded $125,000 by the Government - the same amount given to Olympic gold medallists.

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